The Duelist and the Drifter
by Aurora Bluewolf
Summary: Set as a minor alternative storyline in episode 8, The Duelist and the Drifter, Hattanzo's experiences with the Duelist after Liono loses to him. Writing experiment. Please tell me what you think. Ch 1-slash, Ch2- see what you think.
1. Chapter 1

This is a 'what if' scenario. Please turn back now if you don't like other possibilities in a story line.  
>Set in episode 8, The Duelist and the Drifter, this story is set around the Drifter (Hattanzo), and The duelist. Liono's there, but more or less just in the background doing his own thing. This involves a minor alteration in the overall storyline of this episode, and my subsequent insane ideas afterwards. The format here is supposed to be glimpses, not all out ideas. I'll let you fill in the in between times for fun.<p>

This will become slash. No likey? No read. Ok? No flamers and trolls will be hunted down using the backtrack tech I have, then raped by a donkey after making sure they can't scream or seek help in any way, shape or form. YEAH.

I do not own Thundercats or any of Cartoon Network's characters, and make no money off this.

* * *

><p>"The deal is if I win, I get my sword back. Name your terms." Liono said as he thrust the newly made sword's tip at the Duelist nose. The Duelist simply sat there and smiled.<p>

"…alrighty… if I win… I get…both your lives." The Duelist said as he rose from his seat. Hattanzo glared at the man as he watched those sneaky eyes size the small rabbit up. Hattanzo knew he was no match for the skilled swordsman... but why was he still sizing him up? Hattanzo wasn't the one fighting.

"…I'm in." Liono said as he turned towards Hattanzo, waiting for the rabbit's weigh in. A smirk from the laid back bunny was enough to seal the deal.

"I suppose it's too much work to fight… I'm in too." Hattanzo said with a smirk.

* * *

><p>~~~~ big battle ensues... Liono loses... I can't type battle scenes...and it would kinda wreak the ideas behind the story format~~~<p>

* * *

><p>"Game, set, and match." The Duelist said as he looked down at the sore lion. Liono growled up at the man, making sure his teeth were bared as much as possible. The crowd was thankfully dissipating by this point, and the humiliation wasn't going to be as bad.<p>

"Grrrrrr….."'

"Liono don't!" Hattanzo said as he kneeled next to the injured prince. It wasn't a bad injury, but it was going to be sore for a few days. It wouldn't even need stitches.

"But he-" Liono started.

"He won fair and square… we're his now." Hattanzo said as he helped Liono up. They looked towards the purple back of the swordsman that had just won their lives, and contemplated their short time left.

"…fine…" Liono said, knowing in the back of his mind he'd let the group down. They probably wouldn't even know he was dead at this rate.

* * *

><p>"Lion, go fix the roof. Then come back and wait for orders. Hattanzo… go upstairs and get a bath. Make sure you are clean… you have briers everywhere I can see." The Duelist said as he led the two newcomers into the large, decorative home. Hattanzo thought this place was a church for the longest time, mostly because it had large, very colorful stained glass windows. The rabbit looked around in awe of the place, realizing that he'd never been in a building this big before. Liono was right behind him, still pouting over his loss and nursing a bruised ego. Liono left to do as he was told, and Hattanzo felt a little guilty over not helping him in favor of an ordered bath (he didn't smell that bad!).<p>

"Yes… sir…" The rabbit frowned, almost pouting if it wasn't too much work. He hauled himself up the recently polished steps and looked around. This place was larger than he thought. His old forge was basically a three roomed house (assuming you counted his upstairs bedroom a room…frankly based on size, most wouldn't. Your head would hit the ceiling when you sat up…) and he barely had any space for guests. Though that wasn't a problem, since he had no friends back then and saw no reason to seek out a mate. Mates were just… bothersome. Always wanting attention, always talking about babies, always annoying and distracting one from their passion. No, mates were out of the question for dear Hattanzo. His swords were his passion. Forged for men of decency and strength, who would wield them with pride and honor.

Not the Duelist… not him… even if he fought with all of the above, he stole Hattanzo's masterpiece. He stole the love of Hattanzo's life! That sword was his baby, his brain child, his… his everything. By all means it would have been kinder to kill the rabbit on the day the sword was taken from him instead of forcing him to live such a life, watching his beautiful blade being used as a weapon of war. It sickened him…it sickened him so much that he left his tiny cottage and came to the swordman's town, if nothing else, to wait for the Duelist to slip up and steal his blade back. True, it would be cowardly, but for goodness sakes, he didn't have much choice. The last moron he'd put his favor on was currently fixing the roof. He was certain he'd heard a growl of pain and a hammer stop once or twice now.

Memories came rushing back, and Hattanzo felt himself covered in a wave of humiliation. If his parents could see him now…oh they'd be ashamed. He'd given up on his dreams… and fallen into the hands of a monster. Part of him was certain he'd be forced to forge swords and armor for men who might rape him if the Duelist allowed it. And in truth, he didn't know for certain, but it was always possible. He didn't like the men the Duelist hung out with. They were brutish, unclean, and usually smelled of blood and death. Chances were they ran with the wrong crowd, and the wrong crowd would usually try to take what they wanted, even mates.

He found the bathroom in his musings, and let himself into the tiled room. Again, it was huge. Again, it was ornate. And again, he found himself feeling so small. The tub alone could have easily seated 4 men the Duelist or Liono's size, and still had plenty of room to move around. Little Hattanzo was barely able to climb into the tub after shedding his torn and roughened clothing. He turned the water on and got under the flowing purity, feeling the years of dust that had accumulated in his ear fur flood off him. He opened his eyes and watched the dirty water flow down the drain. Some tiny part of him, a part that he thought had died long ago, whispered in his ear '_perhaps_ _you can wash away something else that's stayed on you for years'_, but went right out the other soaked ear. Truth be told, he'd love to wash the shame he'd placed on himself all those years ago into oblivion. But hopes and dreams were just farces lost on the wind's time at best. The wind always had time to tell and listen to stories, because it never had roots. The wind never had responsibilities or worries about where it's next meal may be found, much less take on the burden of shame for it's actions. If it caused someone to fall, no one in their right mind would chase the wind. They would help the person up and be on their way because the wind wasn't worth the time to chase. What would you do if you caught the wind anyways? It has no money, so paying for damage is out of the question. It has no body, so imprisonment is a fools game. It has no sou-

…it has no soul.

Even if it wanted to be found, caught, and spoken to like a person, it has no voice of it's own, much less a soul.

The water ran cold, causing the rabbit to slip in the tub and fall. He rubbed his bruised backside and forced himself to get back up. He might have been like the wind…but he knew he had a soul somewhere in his tired body. It had been roughened, pushed down, thrown around, smashed, broken, beaten and walked on more times than he'd like to remember.

He grabbed onto the side of the now slippery tub and hauled himself out. It sucked being so small, but that used to be why people liked him. He was cute. Well… he was probably cuter now than he had been in years. The dust made him look rugged, but he hated the feel of it. And the longer fur on his face made him look older than he was, but perhaps it was time for a shave…

He emerged from the bathroom 40 minutes after entering with a cleaner look, no shirt, and straightened fur. Some of it had been trimmed, most of it just washed. Either way, one had to admit, it was a stark improvement.

* * *

><p>"So what's the plan?" The rabbit asked as he took a seat beside the Duelist. The purple skinned man looked at him and smiled, not that Hattanzo noticed. The floppy eared rabbit was too busy watching the sunset to be occupied with the man for the moment.<p>

"Liono will fix some things around here, and then he is free to go. You on the other paw…" The Duelist slid closer to the rabbit, making Hattanzo turn his newly trimmed head towards the swordsman.

"Yes?" Hattanzo said as he replaced the willow sprig in his mouth with a new one. The other one managed to get bent earlier, and it was driving him crazy.

"I… want… you to… stay here… with me." The Duelist confessed. Hattanzo wasn't expecting that at all.

"What?" The rabbit said as he sat up a little straighter. What on Earth was the man thinking?

"I want you to stay here with me and be my sword smith." The Duelist said as he started to take off his armor. Hattanzo did note that under that uniform, the Duelist seemed to have a muscular build. This small development found the rabbit becoming more jealous of the man.

"I haven't made a sword in years… and my forge is a long way from here. Hooligans probably broke in by now and stole everything anyways." Hattanzo said without a second thought. It was true, and unless the man had a miracle planned, Hattanzo wouldn't be making a sword any time soon.

"Yes, I heard you abandoned your home some time ago… so… I used some connections and had the necessities brought here." The Duelist said as he grabbed a bottle and two glasses off the shelf of alcoholic drinks. Hattanzo never drank all that much… but when he did, he'd enjoy it. Alcohol was expensive, and was definitely a luxury item in these parts. The Thundarians had stores of it in their huge city, but they were the panicle of wealth in these nations. Well… right until their humiliating devastation… hence, why their prince was currently hammering away on the roof again.

"Wha- Why the hell would you do all of this? What do I owe you? What on Thundera would you want an old washed out sword smith like me for?" The rabbit exclaimed, slightly shaken by this revelation. The Duelist had to have an ulterior motive. There was ALWAYS an ulterior motive. Heck, even the drink that the bastard was handing him must have been laced with something. Perhaps… perhaps he shouldn't take a gulp of it…or…well…he could…

"I…have my reasons… and I tend to go through a lot of swords in a very short amount of time. So having a great hand like yours around would be beneficial to say the least." The Duelist said as he glanced Hattanzo's way. The rabbit could have sworn the alcohol going down was less burning than heat rising in his chest. The two patches of fire hit together at the same time, and Hattanzo could have sworn they both sent a shiver through his body like no other force ever had. The Duelist gaze was amazing to say the least… those shining red eyes seemed to hold something that Hattanzo hadn't seen in a very long time…But at the same time, he couldn't place it to save his life.

"I get the feeling there is more than that to this arrangement…" The rabbit said as he leaned back in his seat, making sure to keep the willow sprig in his teeth. He hid his shivers well, not that the Duelist would have to look hard to see the rising blush on his pink nose (1). Perhaps it was the booze, or perhaps his plan was working… he didn't care either way, the rabbit was falling into his lap none the less.

"…you will see in time." The devilish man said with a smirk as he gulped another round of burning fuel down his throat.

* * *

><p>The men hadn't been kind to the door, which was now in pieces on the floor of the forge. They had waited until the Duelist was out getting supplies to attack his newly captured sword smith. They barged in; startling the rabbit, then gave him a sharp slap when he protested their entrance. Clearly, he was never an intimidating force to begin with. His current occupation was laying face down while a huge monster of a yellow dog held his arms down, and the orange fox was tearing off his shirt buttons with the tip of an unrefined sword (that thought alone made Hattanzo want to puke). The last one, a large, green hippo, was gurgling in his own laughter as Hattanzo finally found his voice when his two large maws of hands gripped the rabbit's worn pants and started to pull. As if it wasn't enough that they had tossed all of his precious, newly forged swords into a rucksack to be stolen and sold to who knows what or where- they didn't know that a rabbit's most sensitive parts were their ears, which were currently being crushed under the weight of a fox who seemed to like tails a little too much.<p>

Hattanzo didn't even know what he was screaming anymore when the nasty feeling of a tongue in his fur made him kick out. He thrashed as much as he could, screamed and hollered until his lungs were red and raw-

He couldn't think…

He couldn't see…

But he did manage to figure out who the two colored blades belonged to when they sliced through a tendon of the hippo's arm, creating a deafening snap and silencing the rabbit as his lower half hit the floor when the offensive hands left him. Hattanzo managed to open his eyes to see the dog and fox growling, then letting go of his thoroughly abused arms. He forced himself to press his foot against the wall of the forge and repel himself from the scene. It wasn't much, but it gave him some distance should things go wrong.

Surely enough, before he blacked out from hitting his head on the side of the stone building, he saw a familiar purple man wielding two of his finest blades with a look of sheer murderous intent painted on his normally handsome features.

* * *

><p>The next time Hattanzo awoke, he was safe in hi- no… the Duelist bedroom? Why was he in the Duelist room? Said man inhabited the area of the enlarged bed beside him, on top of the covers instead of underneath them, like Hattanzo was. He forced himself to sit up, and gently pushed his moist hair out of his eyes. Moist? Hum… that was weird. He didn't remember getting rained on or anything after those men had broken into the forge and pinned him down.<p>

The Duelist started to stir, making the room warm again when he yawned. Hattanzo knew he was being silly, but he gently pressed his roughened fingertips into the Duelist cheek, barely nudging him awake. Those dark red eyes opened up to see the rabbit looking down at him with a tired expression adorning his face. The Duelist forced himself into a sitting position quickly; worry glazing over his face in a heartbeat.

"Oh… you're uh… You're awake…" The Duelist said to a now sitting Hattanzo. The rabbit sighed lightly against the blankets and smirked at the Duelist, who was trying to fix his clothes. It was then that Hattanzo realized he was wearing a large shirt, baggy on his tiny frame, and that must have been the Duelist's.

"Why did you save me?" The rabbit asked as he readjusted the blankets to shield his lap more. He folded his arms across his knees, which were pulled to his chest.

"…because I… I wanted to." The Duelist admitted; shoulders stiffening as he let the words slip through his teeth. Hattanzo could see the man's purple skin darken just a bit… was he blushing?

"That doesn't make much sense…" The sword smith said as he tugged at the larger shirt, clearly the Duelists, but Hattanzo didn't mind. The man was kind… when he wanted to be.

"Yeah… well… guess that's just life." The Duelist shrugged as he slid into his chair. Hattanzo had to admit, the man was subtle.

"So…what now?" The rabbit sighed, allowing the blankets to slip down to his barely shielded rear.

"I have a deal I've been meaning to propose to you." The stiff man said as he gathered his wits. Hattanzo could see that he was ready for a fight based on his stance alone… but there was something different in the way he said his words… something… bigger.

"What kind of deal, duelist?" Hattanzo said as he smiled his subtle smile, dark eyes giving the warmest glow imaginable.

"The kind that involves you going on a date with me. One date. That's all I ask. If you hate it, I won't bother you again, and… I'll give you your sword back. No if, ands or buts about it." The Duelist announced, filling the small room with his boisterous demand. Hattanzo was slightly shocked at the behavior, simply because it was so straightforward.

"…I think you got yourself a deal there."

* * *

><p>The date was quiet to say the least. True, it was fun… but they didn't actually talk all that much. Needless to say, by the end, The Duelist was certain he'd failed. He'd tried to do right by the sword smith… but to be honest, he knew he'd failed. Just like every situation in his life that involved romance, he was just blank.<p>

"A deal's a deal… here's your sword" The Duelist somberly said as Hattanzo took the sword and stared at it for a moment, contemplating all that he'd gone through to get to this moment. The golden sword that he'd called his greatest masterpiece was in his hands again… and for some reason… he felt like a part of him just died. He looked up at the famed Duelist, who was now starting to walk away from him. As is on command, his hand shot out and grabbed the other male's hand, holding it from leaving. The Duelist stopped dead in his tracks as he began to turn back to the rabbit. Before he was even fully turned, the small form of the bunny came crashing against his side, hugging him. Slightly glad that no one was around at this hour of the day, the Duelist gladly ran his hand through the sword smith's messy mane. He closed his eyes as he felt the rabbit nuzzle him in the side, refusing to let go.

"What if I chose to stay with you?" Hattanzo said as he leaned his head slightly to the left to be heard against the larger male.

"I'd… probably be the happiest man in town…" The Duelist said as his arms entwined themselves around the rabbit's waist to bring him closer.

"Can I take this as a yes?" The Duelist asked gently, making sure this ground was stable before walking on it freely.

The rabbit nodded, and even though he couldn't see the younger male's face, he knew the rabbit was smiling. He embraced the younger male for a moment, even going so far as to kiss the top of his head, and then pulled away to start walking with his new love back to the house now made a home.

* * *

><p>"So… I heard a little rumor today..."<p>

"About what, dear?"

"About rabbits…"

"Oh?"

"Yes… turns out… if memory serves me right… your kind only has males… am I correct?"

"Yes. I had two fathers who loved me as much as I love my craft... and technically a mother who was one of my fathers…"

"Really?... so… if I was to… let's say… take you on a night filled with nothing but pleasure… any chance you'd get knocked up?"

* * *

><p>And end~<p>

1- Pink nose blush. I doubt they can blush through fur, so he'd probably have to have his nose turn a different color to show blushing.

Review if you'd like… I'd appreciate it, but this is a one shot for the moment. May do something with the Duelist going off to war later…and… ok to be honest I'm blanking after that. Will work with it more later. Typed this in one night to try to prove I could do something productive outside of school on my own.


	2. Revision 1

This is a 'what if' scenario. Please turn back now if you don't like other possibilities in a story line.  
>Set in episode 8, The Duelist and the Drifter, this story is set around the Drifter (Hattanzo), and The duelist. Liono's there, but more or less just in the background doing his own thing. This involves a minor alteration in the overall storyline of this episode, and my subsequent insane ideas afterwards. The format here is supposed to be glimpses, not all out ideas. I'll let you fill in the in between times for fun.<p>

I do not own Thundercats or any of Cartoon Network's characters, and make no money off this.

Written as part of an experiment. Let me know how this part reads. It's the same story on both 'chapters', but I've changed only a few words and removed a few pointed sentences.

* * *

><p>"The deal is if I win, I get my sword back. Name your terms." Liono said as he thrust the newly made sword's tip at the Duelist nose. The Duelist simply sat there and smiled.<p>

"…alrighty… if I win… I get…both your lives." The Duelist said as he rose from his seat. Hattanzo glared at the man as he watched those sneaky eyes size the small rabbit up. Hattanzo knew he was no match for the skilled swordsman, but why was he still sizing him up? Hattanzo wasn't the one fighting.

"…I'm in." Liono said as he turned towards Hattanzo, waiting for the rabbit's weigh in. A smirk from the laid back bunny was enough to seal the deal.

"I suppose it's too much work to fight… I'm in too." Hattanzo said with a smirk.

* * *

><p>"Game, set, and match." The Duelist said as he looked down at the sore lion. Liono growled up at the man, making sure his teeth were bared as much as possible. The crowd was thankfully dissipating by this point, and the humiliation wasn't going to be as bad.<p>

"Grrrrrr….."'

"Liono don't!" Hattanzo said as he kneeled next to the injured prince. It wasn't a bad injury, but it was going to be sore for a few days. It wouldn't even need stitches.

"But he-" Liono started.

"He won fair and square… we're his now." Hattanzo said as he helped Liono up. They looked towards the purple back of the swordsman that had just won their lives, and contemplated their short time left.

"…fine." Liono relented, knowing in the back of his mind he'd let the group down. They probably wouldn't even know he was dead at this rate.

"Lion, go fix the roof. Then come back and wait for orders. Hattanzo, go upstairs and get a bath. Make sure you are clean. You have briers everywhere I can see." The Duelist said as he led the two newcomers into the large, decorative home. Hattanzo thought this place was a church for the longest time, mostly because it had large, very colorful stained glass windows. The rabbit looked around in awe of the place, realizing that he'd never been in a building this big before. Liono was right behind him, still pouting over his loss and nursing a bruised ego. Liono left to do as he was told, and Hattanzo felt a little guilty over not helping him in favor of an ordered bath (he didn't smell that bad!).

"Yes, sir." The rabbit frowned, almost pouting if it wasn't too much work. He hauled himself up the recently polished steps and looked around. This place was larger than he thought. His old forge was basically a three roomed house (assuming you counted his upstairs bedroom a room. Based on size, most wouldn't. Your head would hit the ceiling when you sat up.) He barely had any space for guests. Though that wasn't a problem, since he had no friends back then and saw no reason to seek out a mate. Mates were just… bothersome. Always wanting attention, always talking about babies, always annoying and distracting one from their passion. No, mates were out of the question for dear Hattanzo. His swords were his passion. Forged for men of decency and strength, who would wield them with pride and honor.

Not the Duelist. Not him. Even if he fought with all of the above, he stole Hattanzo's masterpiece. He stole the love of Hattanzo's life! That sword was his baby, his brain child, his… his everything! By all means it would have been kinder to kill the rabbit on the day the sword was taken from him instead of forcing him to live such a life, watching his beautiful blade being used as a weapon of war. It sickened him. It sickened him so much that he left his tiny cottage and came to the swordman's town, if nothing else, to wait for the Duelist to slip up and steal his blade back. True, it would be cowardly, but he didn't have much choice. The last moron he'd put his favor on was currently fixing the roof. He was certain he'd heard a growl of pain and a hammer stop once or twice now.

Memories came rushing back, and Hattanzo felt himself covered in a wave of humiliation. If his parents could see him now, oh they'd be ashamed. He'd given up on his dreams and fallen into the hands of a monster. Part of him was certain he'd be forced to forge swords and armor for men who might kill him if the Duelist allowed it. And in truth, he didn't know for certain, but it was always possible. He didn't like the men the Duelist hung out with. They were brutish, unclean, and usually smelled of blood and death. Chances were they ran with the wrong crowd, and the wrong crowd would usually try to take what they wanted.

He found the bathroom in his musings, and let himself into the tiled room. Again, it was huge. Again, it was ornate. And again, he found himself feeling so small. The tub alone could have easily seated four men the Duelist or Liono's size, and still had plenty of room to move around. Little Hattanzo was barely able to climb into the tub after shedding his torn and roughened clothing. He turned the water on and got under the flowing purity, feeling the years of dust that had accumulated in his ear fur flood off him. He opened his eyes and watched the dirty water flow down the drain. Some tiny part of him, a part that he thought had died long ago, whispered in his ear '_perhaps_ _you can wash away something else that's stayed on you for years'_, but went right out the other soaked ear. Truth be told, he'd love to wash the shame he'd placed on himself all those years ago into oblivion. But hopes and dreams were just farces lost on the wind's time at best. The wind always had time to tell and listen to stories, because it never had roots. The wind never had responsibilities or worries about where its next meal may be found, much less take on the burden of shame for its actions. If it caused someone to fall, no one in their right mind would chase the wind. They would help the person up and be on their way because the wind wasn't worth the time to chase. What would you do if you caught the wind anyways? It has no money, so paying for damage is out of the question. It has no body, so imprisonment is a fool's game. It has no sou-

…it has no soul.

Even if it wanted to be found, caught, and spoken to like a person, it has no voice of its own, much less a soul.

The water ran cold, causing the rabbit to slip in the tub and fall. He rubbed his bruised backside and forced himself to get back up. He might have been like the wind, but he knew he had a soul somewhere in his tired body. It had been roughened, pushed down, thrown around, smashed, broken, beaten and walked on more times than he'd like to remember.

He grabbed onto the side of the now slippery tub and hauled himself out. It sucked being so small, but that used to be why people liked him. He was cute. Well… he was probably cuter now than he had been in years. The dust made him look rugged, and he hated the feel of it clumping together in his hair. The longer fur on his face made him look older than he was, but perhaps it was time for a shave.

He emerged from the bathroom 40 minutes after entering with a cleaner look, no shirt, and straightened fur. Some of it had been trimmed, most of it just washed. Either way, one had to admit, it was a stark improvement.

* * *

><p>"So what's the plan?" The rabbit asked as he took a seat beside the Duelist. The purple skinned man looked at him and smiled, not that Hattanzo noticed. The floppy eared rabbit was too busy watching the sunset to be occupied with the man for the moment.<p>

"Liono will fix some things around here, and then he is free to go. You on the other paw…" The Duelist slid closer to the rabbit, making Hattanzo turn his newly trimmed head towards the swordsman.

"Yes?" Hattanzo said as he replaced the willow sprig in his mouth with a new one. The other one managed to get bent earlier, and it was driving him crazy.

"I want you to stay here with me." The Duelist confessed. Hattanzo wasn't expecting that at all.

"What?" The rabbit said as he sat up a little straighter. What on Earth was the man thinking?

"I want you to stay here with me and be my sword smith." The Duelist said as he started to take off his armor. Hattanzo did note that under that uniform, the Duelist seemed to have a muscular build. This small development egged on the growing jealousy in the rabbit.

"I haven't made a sword in years, and my forge is a long way from here. Hooligans probably broke in by now and stole everything anyways." Hattanzo said without a second thought. It was true, and unless the man had a miracle planned, Hattanzo wouldn't be making a sword any time soon.

"Yes, I heard you abandoned your home some time ago. So, I used some connections and had the necessities brought here." The Duelist said as he grabbed a bottle and two glasses off the shelf of alcoholic drinks. Hattanzo never drank all that much, but when he did, he'd enjoy it. Alcohol was expensive, and was definitely a luxury item in these parts. The Thundarians had stores of it in their huge city, but they were the pinnacle of wealth in these nations. Well… right until their humiliating devastation… hence, why their prince was currently hammering away on the roof again.

"Wha- Why the hell would you do all of this? What do I owe you? What on Thundera would you want an old washed out sword smith like me for?" The rabbit exclaimed, slightly shaken by this revelation. The Duelist had to have an ulterior motive. There was ALWAYS an ulterior motive. Heck, even the drink that the bastard was handing him must have been laced with something.

"I have my reasons. And I tend to go through a lot of swords in a very short amount of time. So having a great hand like yours around would be beneficial to say the least." The Duelist said as he glanced Hattanzo's way. The rabbit could have sworn the alcohol going down was less burning than heated frustration rising in his chest. The two patches of fire hit together at the same time, and Hattanzo could have sworn they both sent a shiver through his body like no other force ever had. The Duelist gaze was amazing to say the least… those shining red eyes seemed to hold something that Hattanzo hadn't seen in a very long time…But at the same time, he couldn't place it to save his life.

"I get the feeling there is more than that to this arrangement." The rabbit said as he leaned back in his seat, making sure to keep the willow sprig in his teeth. He hid his shivers well, not that the Duelist would have to look hard to see the alcohol induced blush on his pink nose (1).

"You will see in time." The devilish man said with a smirk as he gulped another round of burning fuel down his throat.

* * *

><p>The men hadn't been kind to the door, which was now in pieces on the floor of the forge. They had waited until the Duelist was out getting supplies to attack his newly captured sword smith. They barged in; startling the rabbit, then gave him a sharp slap when he protested their entrance. Clearly, he was never an intimidating force to begin with. His current occupation was laying face down while a huge monster of a yellow dog held his arms down, and the orange fox was tearing off his shirt buttons with the tip of an unrefined sword (that thought alone made Hattanzo want to puke) while searching him for gold. The last one, a large, green hippo, was gurgling in his own laughter as Hattanzo finally found his voice when his two large maws of hands gripped the rabbit's floppy ears and started to pull. As if it wasn't enough that they had tossed all of his precious, newly forged swords into a rucksack to be stolen and sold to who knows what or where- they didn't know that a rabbit's most sensitive parts were their ears.<p>

Hattanzo didn't even know what he was screaming anymore when the nasty feeling of a hand in his fur made him kick out. He thrashed as much as he could, screamed and hollered until his lungs were red and raw-

He couldn't think…

He couldn't see…

But he did manage to figure out who the two colored blades belonged to when they sliced through a tendon of the hippo's arm, creating a deafening snap and silencing the rabbit as his lower half hit the floor when the offensive hands left him. Hattanzo managed to open his eyes to see the dog and fox growling, then letting go of his thoroughly abused arms. He forced himself to press his foot against the wall of the forge and repel himself from the scene. It wasn't much, but it gave him some distance should things go wrong.

Surely enough, before he blacked out from hitting his head on the side of the stone building, he saw a familiar purple man wielding two of his finest blades with a look of sheer murderous intent painted on his normally unemotional features.

* * *

><p>The next time Hattanzo awoke, he was safe in hi- no, the Duelist bedroom? Why was he in the Duelist room? Said man inhabited the area of the enlarged bed beside him, on top of the covers instead of underneath them, like Hattanzo was. He forced himself to sit up, and gently pushed his moist hair out of his eyes. Moist? Hum… that was weird. He didn't remember getting rained on or anything after those men had broken into the forge and pinned him down.<p>

The Duelist started to stir, making the room awaken when he yawned. Hattanzo knew he was being silly, but he gently pressed his roughened fingertips into the Duelist cheek, barely nudging him awake. Those dark red eyes opened up to see the rabbit looking down at him with a tired expression adorning his face. The Duelist forced himself into a sitting position quickly; concern glazing over his face in a heartbeat.

"Oh, you're uh- You're awake." The Duelist said to a now sitting Hattanzo. The rabbit sighed lightly against the blankets and smirked at the Duelist, who was trying to fix his clothes. It was then that Hattanzo realized he was wearing a large shirt, baggy on his tiny frame, and that must have been the Duelist's.

"Why did you save me?" The rabbit asked as he readjusted the blankets to shield his lap more. He folded his arms across his knees, which were pulled to his chest.

"Because I wanted to. Don't need a reason to save a blacksmith." The Duelist gruffed; shoulders stiffening as he let the words slip through his teeth. Hattanzo could see the man's purple skin darken just a bit. Was he embarrassed?

"That doesn't make much sense." The sword smith said as he tugged at the larger shirt, clearly the Duelists, but Hattanzo didn't mind. The man was kind- when he wanted to be.

"Yeah. Well- guess that's just life." The Duelist shrugged as he slid into his chair. Hattanzo had to admit, the man was subtle.

"So,what now?" The rabbit sighed, allowing the blankets to slip down to his barely shielded rear.

"I have a deal I've been meaning to propose to you." The stiff man said as he gathered his wits. Hattanzo could see that he was ready for a fight based on his stance alone… but there was something different in the way he said his words. Something bigger.

"What kind of deal, duelist?" Hattanzo said as he smiled his subtle smile, dark eyes giving the warmest glow imaginable.

"The kind that involves you staying with me for one month. One month as my swordsmith. That's all I ask. If you hate it, I won't bother you again, andI'll give you your sword back. No if, ands, or buts about it." The Duelist announced, filling the small room with his boisterous demand. Hattanzo was slightly shocked at the behavior, simply because it was so straightforward. It was odd for the Duelist to say the least.

"I think you got yourself a deal there."

* * *

><p>"A deal's a deal. Here's your sword" The Duelist somberly said as Hattanzo took the sword and stared at it for a moment, contemplating all that he'd gone through to get to this moment. The golden sword that he'd called his greatest masterpiece was in his hands again. And for some reason, he felt like a part of him just died. He looked up at the famed Duelist, who was now starting to walk away from him. As is on command, his hand shot out and grabbed the other male's hand, holding it from leaving. The Duelist stopped dead in his tracks as he began to turn back to the rabbit. Before he was even fully turned, the small form of the bunny came crashing against his side. Slightly glad that no one was around at this hour of the day, the Duelist gladly placed his hand on the sword smith's messy mane.<p>

"What if I chose to stay with you?" Hattanzo said as he leaned his head slightly to the left to be heard against the larger male.

"I'd probably be the proudest man in town." The Duelist said as chuckled at his friend.

"Can I take this as a yes?" The Duelist asked gently, making sure this ground was stable before walking on it freely.

The rabbit nodded, and even though he couldn't see the younger male's face, he knew the rabbit was smirking. He threw an arm over the younger male's shoulders for a moment, even going so far as to ruffle the top of his head, and then pulled away to start walking back to the house.

* * *

><p>And end~ So, if you don't mind, would you tell me how different these two chapters seem to you? It's for a writing experiment.<p>

1- Pink nose blush. I doubt they can blush through fur, so he'd probably have to have his nose turn a different color to show blushing.


End file.
